PROPOSALTO EXPAND FIVE ACRE WOOD SCHOOL, BOUGHTON LANE, MAIDSTONE,
KENT, ME15 9QF
Introduction
Kent County Council (KCC) is proposing to expand Five Acre Wood School by 65 places,
taking the designated number of places offered from 210 to 275 for October 2014. KCC is
also proposing to establish a Satellite provision at East Borough Primary School, Vinters
Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 5DX for 15 children with a statement of Special Educational
Needs for moderate to severe learning difficulties.
Contact Details
The proposal to expand Five Acre Wood School is being published by Kent County Council,
County Hall, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ. Contact Name and Address: Jared Nehra, Area
Education Officer (West Kent), Worrall House, 30 Kings Hill Avenue, West Malling, Kent
ME15 9QF. Tel: 03000 412209
Provision details
Five Acre Wood School is a successful all age (4-19) day District Special Community School
for children and young people with Profound, Severe and Complex Learning Difficulties,
including Autistic Spectrum Disorder. It is located on Boughton Lane, Maidstone, Kent ME15
9QF. A breakdown of the pupils on roll by age groups is provided in the table below:
Yr
R
No of 14
Pupils
1
13
2
18
3
19
4
19
5
20
6
10
7
17
8
23
9
13
10
14
11
6
12
12
13
11
14
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The school’s vision is set out below:
Five Acre Wood School is a stimulating and safe learning community in which we all work
together to nurture and maximise the potential of each and every individual and celebrate
their achievements. Firm foundations and strong partnerships provide the platform for
dynamic, challenging and personalised learning pathways, preparing our students for their
life journey.
Description of alteration and evidence of demand
In accordance with section 19(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 Kent County
Council intends to make the following prescribed alteration to Five Acre Wood School,
Boughton Lane, Maidstone ME15 9QF:


To increase the designated number of places offered at Five Acre Wood School from 210
to 275 places for October 2014.
To establish a Satellite provision at East Borough Primary School, Vinters Road,
Maidstone ME14 5DX for 15 students with a statement of Special Educational Needs for
moderate to severe learning difficulties.
There is growing pressure in the Maidstone district for specialist places to meet the needs of
primary aged children who have Profound, Severe and Complex Needs (PSCN). Five Acre
Wood School is designed for 210 children, currently caters for 217 pupils and there is no
room to accommodate further children without expansion of the existing school buildings.
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It is anticipated that the Satellite provision within East Borough Primary School will comprise
of a dedicated teaching space, and smaller areas which can be used flexibly to provide
support e.g. individual sensory/therapy; a calm space for small groups and time out when
necessary.
Objectives
As the strategic commission of school provision, the Local Authority has a duty to ensure that
there are sufficient school places for the residents of Kent, including sufficient special
educational needs places.
KCC is proposing to expand Five Acre Wood School in order to provide 15 places with effect
from 1 October 2014. The satellite provision will support children with Moderate to Severe
Learning Difficulties rather than the full range of PSCN.
East Borough Primary School is a fully inclusive school and the Headteacher, Governing
Body and staff are very excited about this proposal.
The proposed expansion will offer 15 additional SEN places in the area which reflects KCC’s
aspirations to increase the number of SEN school places across the County, as set out in the
Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2013-18, a copy of which is available at
this link:
http://www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/6212/Kent-education-commissioningplan-2013-2018.pdf
The proposal will help to secure our ambition “to ensure every child will go to a good school
where they make good progress and can have fair access to school places” as set out in
‘Bold Steps for Kent’.
The effect on other schools, academies and educational institutions within the area
The Commissioning Plan outlines the requirement in Maidstone for additional satellite places
for pupils with moderate to severe learning difficulties. As stated above, current provision is
at capacity and no adverse impact is anticipated on neighbouring schools or the local
community.
Project costs and indication of how these will be met, including how long term value
for money will be achieved:
Capital Programme –
a. It is proposed that KCC funded improvements to the school will provide all necessary
teaching rooms including specialist teaching spaces. Facilities within the school will
be improved and designed to meet the needs of students. A feasibility study has been
completed. The total cost is estimated to be in the region of £12 million of which
£1.726 million will be funded from Targeted Basic Need and the remainder from the
Basic Need and Special Schools Review Budget. The costs of the project are
estimates and these may increase as the project is developed. If the cost of the
project would be exceeded by more than 10%, the Cabinet Member will be required to
take a further decision to allocate the additional funding.
b. There are no capital costs for the proposal to establish a Satellite provision at East
Borough Primary School for 15 students with a statement of Special Educational
Needs for moderate to severe learning difficulties. It is proposed that the provision
would be provided through reconfiguration of the existing site
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Revenue – The school will receive increased funding through the Delegated Budget, using
the DfE Place Plus funding methodology for High Needs Pupils.
Human – Five Acre Wood School will appoint additional teachers, as the need arises.
The proposal will ensure specialist places are provided within the locality where the need for
places exists, thereby reducing transport costs and journey times.
Implementation and any proposed stages for implementation
Should the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform agree that the proposal can go
ahead, the expansion will take effect from 1 October 2014. Initially, the satellite will support
pupils with moderate to severe learning difficulties rather than the full range of PSCN.
Expanding onto an additional site
What is the rationale for this approach and this particular site?
As stated above, Five Acre Wood School is currently full and is unable to expand to
accommodate more children. There is demand in Maidstone for more places; East Borough
Primary School has available accommodation and the proposals means that the additional
places provided will be available in the Maidstone district.
Admission and curriculum arrangements
 The satellite provision will cater for children aged 4-11 years.
 Children will be on the roll of Five Acre Wood School.
 Pupils, although based in either provision, will move between the two sites at times. This
will ensure that staff and children at both schools get to know each other and flexibility in
the use of both premises will be maintained.
Governance and administration
 Governance and leadership of the satellite provision will be provided by the Governing
Body and Senior Leadership Team of Five Acre Wood School. Day to day administration
of the satellite provision will be provided by East Borough Primary School.
 Staff for the satellite provision will be employed by Five Acre Wood School and there will
be movement between the two sites in order that a number of staff gain experience and
share expertise.
Physical characteristics of the provision:
Children and staff will move between the two provisions so will share facilities and resources
available at both sites.
Five Acre Wood School and East Borough Primary School are approximately 3.5 miles apart.
The children attending Five Acre Wood School currently come from a wide geographic area.
The new satellite provision will be nearer to some of the children and parents and therefore
easily accessible to those families.
Special educational needs (SEN) provision
It is proposed that 15 additional places be created within a satellite of Five Acre Wood School
from September 2014 and reserved for pupils with a statement of special educational need
for moderate to severe learning difficulties. Pupils admitted to the satellite provision at East
Borough Primary School will be on the roll of Five Acre Wood School and Five Acre Wood
School will be named on their statement of SEN or Education Health and Care Plan.
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The overarching aim of Kent’s SEND strategy is to improve the health, well-being, attainment
and progress, and the quality of provision, for children and young people with special
education needs and/or disabilities. The SEND Strategy can be obtained from the following
link:
http://www.kelsi.org.uk/pupil_support_and_wellbeing/targeted_support/sen_and_disabilities/s
end_strategy.aspx
This proposal will lead to improvements in the standard, quality, and range of the educational
provision for SEN children and will enhance the quality of education provided through the
sharing of skills and expertise.
Travel
It is anticipated that there will be minimal impact on travel arising from children admitted to
the satellite provision at East Borough Primary School.
Consultation
All applicable statutory requirements to consult in relation to these proposals have been
complied with. A public consultation was carried out by the Local Authority. The initial
consultation commenced on 19 May 2014. However, during the consultation period an
amendment was made arising from an exciting opportunity through a partnership between
Five Acre Wood School and East Borough Primary School. The amendment included
proposals to: (a) Increase the designated number of places offered at Five Acre Wood
School from 210 places to 275 (previously consulted at 260) from October 2014 (previously
September 2015); and (b) To establish a Satellite at East Borough Primary School for
children with a statement of Special Educational Needs for moderate to severe learning
difficulties. Therefore, the consultation period was extended until 23 July 2014.
Consultation documentation was produced together with an Equality Impact Assessment.
These documents can be obtained from KCC’s school consultation website:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-consultations
The consultation documents were distributed to statutory stakeholders, including but not
limited to the following groups:
 The parents/carers of all pupils attending Five Acre Wood School and East Borough
Primary School via their pupil’s schools, staff and governors
 The Department for Education
 The Dioceses
 Chief Executive and Leader of Maidstone Borough Council
 Elected Members (Kent County Council, Maidstone District Council)
 Maidstone Parish Councils
 Local MP
 Schools in Maidstone
 Special schools in Kent
 Local Libraries in the Maidstone area
 All stakeholders were able to access copies of these documents on the KCC website.
The outcome of the consultation was reported to the Cabinet Member for Education, Health
and Reform.
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The procedure for responses: support; objections and comments
A public notice was published in a local newspaper 29 August 2014. Each parent / carer of a
child at Five Acre Wood and East Borough Primary School will be provided with a copy. The
notice will be displayed at all main entrances to the schools, in Maidstone Borough Council’s
reception area and in local libraries. It is also available on KCC’s website:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-consultations
Within four weeks from the date of publication, any person may send in a response
supporting, objecting or commenting on the proposal to Jared Nehra, Area Education Officer
(West Kent), Worrall House, 30 Kings Hill Avenue, West Malling, Kent ME19 4AE. Tel:
03000 412209; or email school.consultations@kent.gov.uk. The final date for sending in
written representations is 26 September 2014.
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